A Rose Amongst Thorns
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Heroes are not always born. At times they are forged in fire. Shaped by events beyond their control. No, heroes are not always born. Sometimes, they are made. Witness the grand adventure of a boy forged by fire, two girls wracked by grief, and the terrible evil that brings them all together in a epic tale for the ages. NarutoxRosexSparrow. Romance, Fluff, Drama, Adventure. Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well it is official. I need surgery. The date is not yet set, but its going to be soon and a lot sooner than I'd like. At the moment I'm recovering from the flu an dreading my inevitable return to work today while I replay Fable 2. And as I was playing, another thought occurred to me...**

**...what if Rose lived?**

_"Heroes are not always born. Sometimes...they are made."_

_~Theresa._

**Rose Amongst Thorns**

Winters in Bowerstone were harsh.

Its people, harsher still.

They do not care for their fellow man; nor do they show kindness unless it benefits them. Crime and poverty fill this town, corrupted by the void left behind by the abscence of heroes. Harsh times have fallen upon the people of Albion. Its people are in need of heroes once more. But not all heroes are born, though many are. Sometimes they are forged. Whether through choice or perhaps events beyond their control, they find power and strength and skill and sometimes, even will. No, not all heroes are born.

Sometimes...

_...they are made. _

* * *

_(Bowerstone Old Town)_

Two children stood before a burning barrel: furtively trying to warm their hands and themselves as they were; wrapped in wrags that offered precious little warmth. Winter had come once more to Albion and it returned with a vengeance. Snow blanketed the ground, mingling with begrudging townsfolk as they bustled too and fro; a throng of cold, miserable villagers, eager to complete their errands and return home. But these children had no home to which they might return; no place to call their own amongst the cold, dreary streets of Old Town.

They were alone. Well, not quite.

The shorter of the two jerked upright as something struck her from above. Cautiously, with a small frown, she reached up to feel the top of her head. It didn't take long to realize what had struck her. This was wet, and when the child looked at her hand, she beheld a whitish-brown substance. She hazarded a glance at the cloudy sky just in time to catch a sparrow sitting atop a chimney, flitting away sheepishly thereafter. She put two and two together and hurriedly wiped it off her head. As if she wasn't dirty enough!

"Eww, yuck," said the older of the two, half-laughing. "Well, I hear that's luckily, like finding a four-leaf-clover. All though I think I'd prefer the clover!" Her name was Rose. And lucky for her, _she_ hadn't been the one to get spattered by sparrow droppings. Her little sister sulked a moment longer, a small smile stealing across her face beneath her elder sister's laughter. Rose and Sparrow. Sisters, and orphans both, left to fend for them selves after the untimely death of their parents. In the dead of winter this was near impossible, but Rose mantained her indefatigable optimisim nonethelss.

"Oh look, Little Sparrow." Rose continued wistfully, gazing. "Castle Fairfax looks so nice in the snow. Imagine the grand dining hall. I bet Lord Lucien's having roast duck this time of year." A look of sorrow crossed her features. "But he must be lonely since his wife and his little girl died. In that big castle, all by himself…if only we could live there!" she sighed, gazing longingly at the castle. "Hmm? What _is_ going on over there?" Rose wondered aloud as the chattering of an excited crowd reached their ears. 'Come with me, Sis,' she added as she ran off to see what was happening.

After a quick, longing glance at the fire, which was beginning to die down, Sparrow quickly ran after Rose. She didn't have to wait long; she nearly ran smack into her sibling, caught up with her down a street talking to the creep, Arfur.

"Hello there young Rose," he began. 'You look hungry. Have you recognised my offer?'

Sparrow shivered. Even she young as she was she knew what he meant by "offer". Even though the guards always failed to find them, criminals, prostitutes and perverts were everywhere in Old Town and unfortunately Arfur was one of them. She's don't know how many times now he has asked Rose to become his, with food and shelter for the both of rhem in return, but Rose always gave him the same answer…thankfully. And, today she gave him the same one.

"We'll never be that hungry!' her sister replied stubbornly, with a hint of anger. 'The answer is "no"!'

Arfur sneered.

'You'll be back, and I'll be waiting for you!' he snarled confidently, turning to walk away.

He never made it.

Scarce had he taken a single step than the business end of a _hammer_ carromed off his head, the mighty blow rendering him insensate; just before the second smacked down against him and split his skull. The owner of the mighty maul planted a booted foot upon the pervert's back and pulled, freeing the weapon from the man's bloodied skull, as though it weighed no more than a feather. They gave it another percursory swing, before slinging it across their back. A long, drawn out sight wafted through the air between the three of them, emerging as a cloud of steam in the frigid air.

"That'll teach ya to put yer hands on my girls, ya bloody pervert." they drawled, smug with satisfaction. Rose drew back in fear. Anyone who could fell a man with a single swing of their hammer, was certainly someone to be feared. She ushered Sparrow behind her, but in the end, there was no need. At that very moment, the stranger raised their head, the hood falling back from their face, exposing it to the dull afternoon skies. Rose nearly doubled over, such was her surprise. She felt a tightness in her chest and thought of him. The boy she hadn't seen for almost two years now. But he would never have come down to old town. Not in this weather not while there was work to be done. Wishful thinking that was all. She was a dreamer...

"Are you going to stand there gaping like a fish all day, or are you going to come over here and give me a hug?"

_"Naruto?"_

At sixteen years of age, Naruto was not much taller than Rose, though one would never have thought otherwise to stand them together. He served as a stonecutter's apprentice in the upper echelons of the city and she could tell he'd only just returned from work; because his face was still smudged with soot and dirt. His trousers and tunic likewise; his whiskered cheeks beet red with cold. He raised a hand and dabbed it on a pant leg, cleaning it of blood just in time to manage a weak wave in recompense for his earlier temerity.

"Yo." He grinned, hugely. "Been awhile, hasn't it?"

And then she, Rose, was running, feet scudding, oblivious to the danger of falling on loose cobbletones, not caring, knowing only that it was he, that he had come. That he had come back. He vaulted off the corpse, ran towards her, grabbed her up in his arms and whirled her around, saying her name over and over as if he wanted to hear them forever.

A moment.

The run of a sandglass.

A sliver of time. How long? She could not have said. But when she emerged from that coccoon of safety where nothing mattered but that she was safe and loved within the circle of arms, her sibling was standing there, arms crossed before her chest. Indeed, little Sparrow's silence spoke chapters; her wide, doe-brown eyes, entire volumes. Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"Oooh, I could never forget you, little Sparrow." He chortled softly. "As a matter of fact, I believe I have something here for you...

He dipped a hand into the roughshod pack at his waist and came up with something that sent Rose's usually silent sister shrieking with glee. A teddy bear! She snatched it out of his hands and held it close to her chest, and just like that, all was forgiven in her eyes. Rose couldn't help but smile at the sight. It had been a painfully long time since she'd last seen her sister smile.

"You always did like to spoil her." she remarked wistfully, stealing a glance at the blond. Naruto was an orphan just like them. The only difference being he'd found work_-be it through luck or skill-_in the upper levels two years prior. Two years it had been. Two years since they'd seen him last. Twenty-four agonizing months of pain and loneliness. And now he was back.

And just like that, Naruto was besotted with her again.

"Ah, Rose!" He exclaimed aloud, sweeping her into his arms anew. "I missed you!" Rose squealed in delighted surprise, hopping he'd attribute the rosy flush of her cheeks to the cold. She liked Naruto. She liked him _a lot._ As much as was possible for a reenage street urchin scarcely past her fifteenth birthday, struggling to provide for both herself and her little sister. She was much too young to be thinking such things! And yet... he was so very nice to her. More than nice. He gave her nice things, called her pretty, showered her with praise. Not at all like that creep, Arfur. Not that he mattered, bleeding out beneath their feet as he was. Try as she might Rose just couldn't bring herself to feel any pity for him. Good riddance to the bloody bloke!

"So what brings you here?" she asked, reeling as he set her down.

"What, can't I come see my best friend?" He feigned a pained expression.

"Oh, shove off!" Rose pushed him away, but there was no rancour in her words. "It's not like I missed you...or anything!"

"You totally missed me." Naruto poked her in the stomach.

This time there could be no mistaking it; t'was not the cold that made Rose flush.

"I did not!"

Naruto danced away from her, laughing.

"Oooh, you jerk! Where were you?" Rose remained on the verge of tears. "You were gone for two years and we never heard from you! Why!"

"We were off travelling the world, my master and I." Naruto answered. "Plying his wares to anyone willing ta buy. Oh Rose, I wish you and Sparrow could've come! We went to all sorts of places! Brightwood, Rookridge, Westcliff, Aurora...it was amazing! Did you know there are countries across the sea? Like Samarkand?" He held that glazed, starry-eyed look, in his eyes again when he spoke. Rose couldn't blame him. After all, it t'was the very same reason she'd fallen in love with him to begin with. Naruto was a dreamer, just like her. The only difference being, he'd found a way out of his own hell. They hadn't.

Before she could press him further, he cocked an ear.

"Say, do you hear that?"

Rose blinked.

"The commotion in the square?"

"Hmm?"

"Might was well see what its allabout...

Moments later they discovered just what all the commotion _was_ about. "Oh, it's just a trader." Rose sighed, her words rife with disappointment. "But I can't see anything past this lot!" she added in annoyance, jumping up and down trying to see what was happening, while Naruto just stood there listening to what the trader was saying.

"A-ladies and a-gentlemen," began the trader, a man by the name of Murgo. "I have travelled the land accumulating wondrous and mysterious objects which I now offer to you for the modest price of five gold. Consider this…this is truly a magical mirror, for as long as you look at it, it will make you _beautiful."_

"I'll take it!" called a man from the crowd.

"Very wise! Now just remember, the magic only works if you look at it in complete darkness. Now _this_ is truly a marvel," he continued as Naruto hoisted little Sparrow onto his shoulders to see the item in question. That item, turned out to be a music box. As if sensing their interest, the trader continued on: "This small, unassuming box is actually a device created by the ancients, as used by the Old Kingdom rulers themselves. Turn the handle three times and you will be granted a single wish."

"A wish...

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked up at his charge. "Did you say something, little Sparrow?"

The child flushed horribly and shook her head.

Whatever Murgo said next, they did not know, for Rose had begun talking again.

'There's no such thing as magic!' she declared stubbornly.

"Nonsense!" Naruto sputtered in vehemence. "My master is a Will-user! There most certainly _is_ such a thing as magic!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

At these words, the woman standing beside them turned and began to speak. Garbed in an ivory maroon dress, she was indeed a bewitching figure, but what stood out the most was her eyes. They were not normal. No not at all. Her eyes glowed white, gazing down at the three children from her cowled face.

"We live in grim times indeed with the young are to world-weary to believe in magic." said the strange woman, her words meant for Rose. "Most children your age believe eagerly."

"Look, I can see that your eyes are bad, but I'm telling you, that music box is rubbish!" said Rose.

"That's what the seller thinks. He has no idea what he has stumbled upon, but you have an inkling, don't you? Some part of you wants to believe that it's magic," the strange lady smiled, her gaze slipping to Naruto and Sparrow the latter of whom had yet to disembark from the former's shoulders. "And it just might be." She turned and began walking away.

"Wh-what? Y-You really think it could be?" Rose asked, now uncertain.

The strange lady stopped in her tracks, her cowled face slowly appearing over her shoulder as she curiously regarded the unlikely trio behind her. A look of subtle amusement crossed her sightless eyes, as she regarded the doubtful girls and hopeful boy standing behind her. _So young, full of so much potential_. But these thoughts were her own, and she was careful to keep them hidden. Instead, she offered cryptically:

"For five gold coins you could have your answer."

"For five gold coins, we could eat for a week!" exclaimed Rose.

"Listen to me, Rose. At the end of that week you and your Little Sparrow would be no closer to your dream. No closer to the inside of that beautiful castle." The strange lady said as she walked away. "Without that wish, you will never be able to truly realize the feelings of the one that's most important to you."

Rose watched her go curiously. How did she know their names and about their dreams? Shrugging, she brushed it out of her mind and looked down at Sparrow, her sister having clamored down from Naruto's shoulders in the midst of their debate. She wore a thoughtful, almost hopeful look on her face.

"What if it _is_ real?" Rose said, finally, looking down at her. "I bet we could get five gold pieces and maybe this could be a way out of here after all. What is there to lose, Little Sparrow?" Little did she know that there was _much_ she would loose from going on this little quest. "Come on, there must be someone around here to pay us gold to do…something." Rose said, looking around as if she was looking for a sign saying where we should start. Inevitably, her gaze drifted back to Naruto.

"Have any ideas?"

The blond flushed.

"What?" Rose asked. "What is it?"

"Five gold coins, eh?" Despite all attempts to the contrary, the boy remained abashed. "I'd give you some but...well, I already spent my allowance." He pushed his foot into an upturned cobblestone, as though he could somehow bury his embarassment there, hide it away from prying eyes. "I spent it on something important."

"On what?" Rose asked, curious to know what it was.

Naruto's reconcilatory grin was positively beatific. Once more he dipped a hand into the burlap sack slung to his back, once more he emerged with a valuable item. Sunlight glittered against gold, and lo and behold, he emerged with a dazzling sight. A necklace. But not just any necklace; it was a gold lace necklace bearing a series of shiny stones. Rubies. He proffered it to her, and she accepted it with trembling hands. His words felt like warm sunshine on her face when he spoke; confirming her greatest hope/worst fear.

_"On this."_

Rose gasped.

"Are...Are those gems?" She sputtered her surprise, frozen as she beheld the majesty of the jewels. "Real gems?!"

Naruto grinned.

"Cut 'em m'self."

Rose gawped at him. She didn't deserve such a gift! She wasn't worthy of it! She stood there, rooted as he reached around her neck, his forehead brushing against hers for the briefest instant. So close. Too close! Rose wanted to kick and sputter and scream but instead she found herself frozen as he slid the clasp around her neck and fastened it tight.

"There." He smiled, satisfied with his work. "They look great on you." He made no mention of her ratty clothes, unkempt hair, or anything else.

"B-But what if someone takes them?"

Naruto's grin grew.

"My master put a spell on them."

"W-What kind of spell?"

He reached forward-

-and jerked back with an appreciative yelp.

"Ouch!" He winced. "See? If anyone tries to take them without your permission they'll get a nasty shock! And it doesn't even hurt you!" He held up a second finger. "And what's more I used a special stone for the focus, but that'll be a surprise for later."

"L-Later?" Rose sputtered. What _was_ he on about? In the end she never knew; because they heard Derrick the Guard call out to them:

"Oi kids! C'mere a minute!"

They quickly ran over to him.

"Hello Derrick"' greeted Rose. "Lose something?"

"My arrest warrant blew right out of my hands." The constable bemoaned. "They could be in all corners of Bowerstone by now and I can't leave my post. Hey, why don't you find them for me? You could be like, ah, little constables! Sounds fun, right?"

Naruto snickered.

"Some constable you are...

"What?! Now see here you little-

"How much does little constables get _paid?"_ asked Rose, getting down to business. Normally they would have done it for free, but seeing as they needed the money…

"Paid? Listen kid, these are the five most wanted criminals in Bowerstone!" cried Derrick.

"Yeah? Well how badly do you want 'em?" pushed Rose.

"Fine, one gold for all five warrants," Derrick said in defeat.

Naruto opened his mouth to protest; to say that they deserved at least one gold for each warrant, but Rose sussed him out. Before he could so much as think to open his mouth and form words she was there; clamping her hand over his lips. Naruto uttered a muffled squawk of surprise. Sparrow raised a finger to her lips

'Deal!' her sister said, smiling.

Yep, I was right. He was desperate.

"The warrants blew off in that direction, through that alley, by that bloke with the picture box." Derrick added helpfully.

"So, we'll look out for those warrants, but for now let's find some more money.:"said Rose as they headed towards the guy with the picture box, whatever that was. They hadn't long to wonder about it. Scarce had they neared the alley than they found the man with the picture box in question.

"Hello children," said Barnum, the guy with the picture box, when we stood in front of him. "Ah, and hello to you, Naruto! Haven't seen you around these parts in awhile. Quite the shindig of a hammer you got there. A regular piece of mechaniacal machinerizim!"

"Barnum." Naruto nodded. A tiny smile broke out on his chiseled face, like a crack etching along a stone surface. "Taking pictures again, I see?"

"Oh, quite!"

"Pictures?" blinked Rose. "What's that?" she added, nodding towards the strange contraption he was standing next to.

"This? Why it's only the most amazing device conceived. It grabs your very likeness and transfiddles it onto a magic piece of paper. It's gonna make me rich! If only I could find someone to modellify for it." he added as softly as he could, looking around for any volunteers. What luck!

"We'll do it!'"Rose said quickly. Barnum looked at her happily, until she said, 'For a gold piece.'

"Gmm…I only have one gold left." He stood there thinking. Naruto was about to tell Rose that they ought to do it for free and find another way to get the money, but Barnum beat him to it, well he beat him to talking to her. "You're right! I should investalise in my new venture. Deal!" He bid them stand in front of a screen that had one of Bowerstone's streets painted upon it.

"A gold piece just to stand there…sounds alright doesn't it?" Rose whispered to Sparrow as they took their positions. Her sister nodded slowly.

"Now all you have to do is strike a pose for my little device. You'd be positively betwazzled by the result!' Barnum said enthusiastically.

'B-what?' Rose said, voicing everyone's thoughts. She had never heard of such a word, but that wasn't saying much.

"Ah yes. I've been improving my vocubularium with a wonderful book, bought from Mungo the Trader: a Thesaurus!' Barnum said cheerfully as he was fiddling with his picture box.

Rose looked over at Naruto.

"He's a bit silly,' she whispered, voicing his thoughts again, 'but this could be fun!"

She then turned back to the picture box and attempted a pose. Naruto wasn't having any of it. When she tried to give a thumbs up he slung an arm around her waist and pulled her close, much to her dismay/delight. A moments consideration later and he did the same to Sparrow, slinging a considerate hand over her shoulder. For a moment, just a moment, they were one big happy family. It must've been quiite the pose and Barnum must've been extraordinarily pleased with the outcome for a flash from the box went off and he cried "Wondrous!" in barely constrained delight.

"This things going to be more popular than the pox!" Barnum said, handing Rose a single gold piece. "Now, I just have to wait three months for the picture to develify and I can start showing it around! Oh, I can almost smell the gold!"

"Ha ha, three months he says!" laughed Ross, one of the citizens of Old Town, who was standing nearby with a group of other men. "Told you it was a swindle!' he added to his friends."

Barnum ignored them and started to do something to his picture box.

"Easy money for us!" Rose said brightly, before lowering her voice so Barnum wouldn't hear. "He's a bit scatty though…hope he's alright."

"He'll be fine." Naruto assauged her. "After all, he's a good person at heart...

After saying a quick goodbye to Barnum, they headed towards an alley.

"This must be the alley the warrants blew down." muttered Rose. "We should take a look."

"Ladies first." Naruto waved them on.

"Oh, my hero." Rose stuck out her tongue as he brushed past her childhood crush. By the gods how she'd missed him! His laughter, his jokes, his charming, ever so glorious smile...stop! Stop stop stop! She musn't be thinking such things! She fingered her new necklace absently, trailing a dirty finger over the flaweless gems. She'd never received such a priceless gift before. If they sold it, they'd be set for life! No. Rose simply hadn't the heart to sell the necklace. It was a gift...one as near and dear to her heart as the blond at her elbow. He caught her staring and offered a foxy grin. Rose sputtered and tore her gaze away. Fire and damnation.! She had to do something about this! But in the end the words refused to come, and their little family trudged down the alley in silence, until they heard someone yell,

"Stupid dog!"

"That sounded like, Rex!" Sparrow murmurred, looking up at Rose.

'You're right, it did sound…' She broke off when a new voice yelled, "Look! Rex caught a dog and he's gonna kick the crap out of it!"

The moment Rose heard that, she ran out of the alley towards the commotion.

"Aww, what's the matter poochie, does it hurt?" Rex said nastily.

Rex was one of the biggest bullies in Old Town. He thought that he was tough and he could do no wrong. He bashed children, animals and anything that stood still longer than a second. He was practically a younger version of Arfur. And by the look in Naruto's eyes, he was about to meet his mentor's fate. The blond stonecutter unslung his hammer, the burnished edge suddenly limmed in crimson energy. Sparrow balked. Such power...and it felt wrong. Sick. Tainted. Twisted. And then she heard them. **Voices.**

_Yessssss...kill the boy. _They seethed, malevolent in their delight._ Kill him...make him ssssssuffer..._

Naruto subtly raised a hand, the veins in his skin crawling, writhing like something alive-

'Hey! What the hell you doing?' yelled Rose, storming over to him before either Sparrow or Naruto had a chance to intervene. Naruto jerked back as if he'd been burned, and the dark power in his hammer shattered like so much glass. Only Sparrow remained aware of the horrow she'd just witnessed. But she, young as she was, had no way of knowing what it was.

"Having a bit of fun, what's it to you?" Rex said before he headbutted Rose, knocking her to the ground.

Sparrow slowly reached for her wooden, toy sword. Nobody hurt her sister and got away with it!

"He hit a girl!" exclaimed one of the onlooking kids.

'Yeah, and now I'm gonna hit another one!' said Rex, turning to face Sparrow. Naruto blanced. He must have seen her get the toy sword out of the corner of his eye.

He stalkd over to Sparrow with an air of confidence, believing that an eight-year-old girl, like herself, would be easily taken care of…how wrong he was. As though it was in slow motion, Naruto watched as his toy sword came towards her and was blocked it easily. A series of brutal combos later and he was running away, bawling like a babe, crying, 'Ahh! Stop it! Lemme alone, you nutter!'

The children that had been watching began to talk about the fight they had just witnessed. Some even congratulated Sparrow; praising her, telling her that she'd fought like the Heroes you'd hear about in legends. She ignored then and quickly went to help Rose. She didn't want to think about what she'd just seen from the her foster brother. It...It frightened her. Naruto was a nice person. To see him so; angry, so vicsious, was much too soon for her little mind to bear.

"Ow, did you see that? That lunatic socked me right in the head! Thanks for your help. I could have taken him, though.' Rose said. She hated it when someone had to protected her. In her eyes, she should always be the one protecting Sparrow. After all, she was the big sister.

Rose turned her attention to the dog that Rex had been tormenting, and slowly walked over to him. "Poor thing. You've had a horrible time. Don't be scared! I won't hurt you!" Rose added when the dog whimpered pathetically. "What you need is someone nice to look after you."

The dog gave a bark and whine as if to say, 'What about you?'

"Oh, we can't keep you. We don't have enough food for ourselves!" Rose said sadly. "And I don't think Naruto is all that fond of dogs."

"Master would _kill_ me if I brought a dog home." Naruto seconded.

Another whine.

"Well I'm sorry, but we can't." Rose said firmly. "Now you just rest. Come on Little Sparrow,let's go,' she added, looking over at her sister. she hadn't approached the dog for fear she we would scare it even more if she approached. Reluctantly they left the dog and headed down the street, fully aware that the poor pooch was watching them, at least, Sparrow was. She wanted to badly to bring the doggy back with them, but there was simply no way; with another mouth to feed they'd surely starve. As they headed down the street around rounded the next bend, we saw a piece of paper lying on the ground.

"Aha! There's one!Naruto said excitedly, pouncing on it before the wind could blow it away. Over to pick it up. It turned out that it _was_ a warrant. A warrant for arson. "Well, we have our first warrant.: Rose announced happily, before she cried out, 'That's one there!'

Before I could say or do anything, she was already running over to a bunch of huge containers…at least that's what I think they are.

'Yes, another warrant!' Rose said when I arrived at the containers. She was busy reading what the warrant was for. 'Hmm, I don't think they'll miss this Leroy if they see him!'

I was about to ask her why when the voice of Balthazar, the owner of the big warehouse in Old Town, reached our ears.

It wasn't all that long before they had the money...before they bought the music box...

...before everything changed.

* * *

Rose backpedalled, but too late. Much too late. How had this happened? They'd made their wish, but the box had dissappeared. Then Lucien's men had come. Naruto had been there. There had been the seal, that eerie light, and then He'd been shot. Then-

There was no more time to remember.

Rose had a glimpse of the black whisp of the bullet whipping through the air toward her as she flung herself aside, followed immediately by the shock of a blow slamming into her shoulder and neck. Icey pain pervaded every inch of her. She tried to maintain her grip on the wall, tried to stand, but the force of a second shot ripped her from her feet and hurtled her through the window.

Jagged pain, hear-stopping panic, all encased in the certain knowledge that there was nothing she could do to halt the calamity that was about to happen...

She released her hold on the air as she struck a nearby rooftop, and all breath was driven from her body. But her fall was not yet finished. Even as she struggled to comprehend the pain in her neck and collarbone, she slipped from the snow-covered tiles, plummeting to the cold, uncaring streets below. Her last coherent thought was that if this was dying, then it was sun-blasted agony.

Rose remained blissfully unaware of the necklace, pulsating softly...

* * *

Afterwards, fevered dreams consumed her every moment.

_Let usssssss have her._

"No." A quavering voice_-Naruto?-_hissed out from somewhere above. "Y-You can have the rest. Not this one. Not Sparrow, either, wherever she is. They belong to me."

There was a silence, punctuated by demented laughter.

_Assssss you sssssay._

Blackness subsumed her...

* * *

Pain. So much pain. She couldn't be dead. Anyone who was dead wouldn't feel all this, surely. She couldn't decide which was worse: the splitting, throbbing headache or the appalling pain in the front of her shoulder. And that was just the start. Her whole body was shrieking for her attention. Her stomach was telling her to throw up. The agony in her shoulder radiated into her neck with every step. Or maybe the stabbing jabs into her neck were something separate?

Steps.

Not steps. Someone was carrying her, but for a moment she couldn't think of who it might be or even what had happened. She wanted to open her eyes, but couldn't seem to part the eyelids. Pain was blocking out coherent thought. _Think Rose, think._ _What happened?_

Sliver by sliver she began to collect her last memories. She'd been shot. Fallen through the glass and out a window. Another shard had slashed her across the neck with the serrated edge. Ah, that explains the neck. She'd fallen. And that explained the pain just about everywhere else. She'd be one big bruise, after a tumble like that. The shoulder: she couldn't move her arm without terrible pain. She hazarded a guess: a broken clavicle. Anything else?

And then it all came rushing back. _Lucien. Sparrow. Oh, poor little Sparrow. _Her eyes flew open. Someone was carrying her, but it was not the mayor of Bowerstone; nor the lord of castle Fairfax castle. It was still dark and she was looking up at the under side of his chin. A wave of awful dizziness drowned her. She moved her head slightly and vomitted.

"Welcome back," they said.

And then he was ducking his head to enter a small hovel and lay her down on the central carpet. _Her_ shack.

_Sparrow!_

She looked around. ignoring the agony every move caused her. The hovel was lit with the oil lamp and the first thing she didn't see was the dog. The loyal mongrel, the newest addition to their strange little family, was nowhere to be seen. They'd left him here to go to the castle. The castle...the bullet! If she hadn't thrown herself in front of her little sister the last instant, she'd most certainly have taken the bullet straight to the heart but her sister...her sister...

_Oh dear lord. _

_Sparrow._

Her panic was total, yet every movement she made was deliberate, considered. She couldn't afford to feel dizzy again. She needed to think. She turned her head the other way and beheld the face of her rescuer for the very first time. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest.

Moonlight shone through the ragged whisps of his hair as he moved to sit beside her. Rose's shock was complete and total. _Naruto?!_ No, that wasn't possible. She'd watched him take a bullet between the eyes. Nothing and no one could survive that. Yet he stood before her now, complete and unharmed. _Whole._ The panic subsided a notch, allowing her to think, to drink every inch of him in. It was then that she realized she was wrong that he was not as uninjured as she'd thought. He bore a terrible wound in his forehead, an irate slash of crimson leapt out across the skin at her, condeming her for her naivete. A slash of blackness lurked in those eye for the longest moment, a tide of something so foul she physically shrank back in fear. A pained sob tore past her lips from the effort.

"Naruto?" Rose gasped out his name, hoping, praying that her sight was true. "Is...is that you?" He blinked, and the darkness was gone. He smiled, then, tenderly touching a hand to her head. A weary grin pulled at his lips, twisting his mouth painfully upward. For the second time that day, he whispered her name softly, ever so sweetly.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Rose." He smiled and rose once more, packing what little she owned into a travel bag.

"W-What're you...

"My master will take you in, tend to your wounds." Naruto reassured, still working at his task. "He'll take us away from here, away from Bowerstone. If he doesn't...well, then I quit." A rueful chuckled leaked through in and between them. "He's getting on in age, and he needs me, after all...

"Sparrow..." Rose whimpered abruptly,. She had to know if her sister survived!

"Rose, I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, looking forlorn. "I couldn't find her body. I think someone might've taken her." He smiled again, and it was full of warmth and reassurance. "Don't worry. We'll find her. Together. I promise. Just as soon as your wounds heal. I swear it."

Rose's last sight was that winning, indefatigable smile, promising her the world...

...before she plunged into the blessed blackness of unconcsiousness.

**A/N: Pairing is NarutoxRosexSparrow! This story follows that of what happens in Fable 2 but there will be a major divergence with Naruto's appearance in the story. Does Naruto have anything to do with the darkness? Well, as he said, he has been to Aurorar, so there's a high likelihood he was infected at some point, though not completely. I tried my best to keep in character while keeping him from becoming too OOC, but he's a bit more mature in this story. ROSE LIVES! When she and Naruto will meet Sparrow again remains to be seen. The event of what happened in Castle Fairfax will also be revealed down the road. Sadly, with that I am off to work once more.**

**So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...would you kindly review?**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Master

**A/N: Some people have asked me...is Naruto the hero of strength? Nope. He is a different kind of hero altogether. If I had to lend him a name for his newfound title I would call him the hero of Fortitude. Remember, he isn't born with awesome powers like Hammer or Sparrow or Garth.**

**Speaking of Garth...**

_"My apprentice...always so troublesome." _

_~?_

**Master**

Garth glanced up from his book as the door to his inner sanctum flung itself open. Normally he did not entertain visitors at such an hour. Indeed, the hour was late and no one had a key to his quarters save for one. He hadn't expected that one to return so soon.

Imagine his surprise when one Uzumaki Naruto came storming inside. He didn't have to see him to know at once it was he; the slew of ancient oaths and curses would've left even most hardened sailor flushing like a giddy schoolgirl. The master magician ruthlessly supressed the instinctive urge to rise from his chair and call out to the boy, to ask him what was wrong; because by the sounds he made in the keep, _something_ was wrong. Very wrong. Distressing the youth. Instead, he closed the book, he'd been reading, calmly returning the novel to the shelf from which he'd taken it, standing slowly, thereafter. At a cursory glance, the novel _appeared_ to be a book about gems and where onemight find them. But as we all know, appearances can be deceiving.

Such was Garth's intent.

He was no mere stonecutter of course; he was will-user: the Albion definition of a mage. And the lad who'd come storming into his keep was none other than his most trusted apprentice.

He'd given the boy strict instruction years before when he'd found him in Old Town; henceforth, he was to tell all who asked that he served a _stone cutter_ in the upper levels of Bowerstone. Not one of the most powerful mages to exist. He must tell no one. _No one._ He'd even imparted some knowledge from his homeland of Samarkand for the sake of prosterity. No one knew he was the secret apprentice to one of the greatest will users of all time and nobody would, so long as the boy kept his mouth shut. Garth had the succinct feeling the world was about to learn of this secret firsthand.

He'd suspected something was amiss when the boy left at the crack of dawn, taking _that_ necklace with him. T'was a blessed craft, one on which he'd toiled long and hard with limited success, before finally bringing it to his master's attention. Under endless beseechment Garth'd eventually capitulated to place a single spell upon it; the item in question would now save its bearer from death, just once. The very next morning, Naruto left with the necklace. That he'd returned so suddenly did not bode well.

"You're early." Was the only greeting Garth gave as he stepped into the foyer; as his apprentice swept past him and into the keep; a small hurricane given human form. "I wasn't expecting you back for at least another hour-

Naruto musn't have heard a word Garth said; because he went right on talking as though his mentor wasn't even there.

"It'll be alright, Rose." He was whispering into the darkness, his voice scarcely heard of what Garth assumed to be pained whimpers. "Just a little longer."

Air hissed between the will-user's white teeth. That boy..._he wasn't!_ In his own keep! Garth didn't bother to knock this time; he burned the door from the outside, reducing it to so much ash before stepping inside. That w

"How many times have I told you-

The will user paused abruptly rooted in midsentence, frozen in place when he _finally _saw the girl in the boy's arms. Not because she was a bloody mess, her good arm slung around the boy's shoulder and bleeding from the neck, but because of what he sensed from her. This was the very same girl he'd passed in the corridors of Faiirfax Castle not the younger of the two, but the elder. An old, cold dread stole over the old Samarkan as his apprentice busily knocked piles of papers_-his research!-_from the bed. Tenderly, he laid her down upon the silk sheets, uncariing as she stained them with her lifeblood. The look in his eyes was one of absolute horror and terror; bespoken of the chaos raging within his own soul.

"Master," The boy managed a stifling sob. "Please-

Garth flung himself toward the bed, the _will_ already leaping from his hands and into the girl's body. She hadn't long to live, not without treatment. Immediately, he directed the most potent of the healing energies into her broken collarbone, where the worst of the damage lay. He had no hope of repairing the wound completely, but he could, at the very least, save her from certain death. He wanted to tell his apprentice to step back and let him treat the girl in peace, but one look at the boy told him this would not be wise.

Naruto was trembling all over, as though he were on the verge of an epileptic seizure. This girl was near and dear to him; to tell the boy to stand aside would be akin to tearing out his own heart. Impossible. Garth was only mildly impressed. Sweat beaded from his brow as he directed the healing within, stimulating her body's cells to begin the healing proccess. It was by no means easy working against the wounds themselves. But he was making progress.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the tears in the girl's neck began to close, ragged flesh stitching itself shut; knitting back together as master and apprentice looked on. Garth arched a slender brow as his charge touched a hand to hers in reassurance. _Ah,_ he mused silenty. _So this is the infamous Rose he speaks incessantly of._ Inwardly he smiled. Outwardly, he scowled. Who had done this to her? Rather, what had they done to put her in such a state? He knew now why Naruto had given her the necklace; only that it'd saved her life whereas she might've otherwise died. How had he known this? Was he suffering from visions again? There was only one way to be certain.

"Why have you brought her here?" Garth asked, not taking his attention away from his patient. Nonetheless, his singe eye narrowed in consternation. He'd known the boy to be trouble even before he'd taken him under his wing, but even he hadn't been expexting this. Not this; to have a girl bearing the blood of the Archon bleeding beneath his fingertips!

"Master, this is-

"I _know_ who she is." Garth snapped, silencing his apprentice with a curt nod of the head. "Just as I know who you are. Now, _why have you brought her here?"_

Naruto fidgeted. Only then, through the corner of his eye, did Garth finally notice the boy's wounds. And what he saw nearly caused him to lose control of the will. Blood marred his forehead and slicked the length of his arm alongside his knee; both the wounds were still weeping. By the gods! Naruto had been shot! How it must've hurt! And he was still _alive?_

"It's a long story."

"I have time." Garth replied evenly.

Naruto drew a deep breath and began from the beginning...

* * *

_Lucien...my old friend...how you have fallen..._

When all was said and done, the Hero of Will was struck speechless. He'd long sice suspected Lucien of terrible things _but to murder children?_ Never! And yet the look in the eyes of his apprentice_-and those wounds_-were not something easily made up. He bit back the urge to ask of the other sister; if the eldest was in this condition than the younger sibling was most certainly dead. As if sensing his thoughts, Rose loosed a soft moan. She stirred, even as he looked on, dark eyes fluttering open beneath darker hair.

"Sparrow...

Garth touched a hand to Rose's near-slumbering face; she was alive, though feverish. Should she survive this night, the memories would haunt her for years to come. But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts, not with the frankness of Lucien's betrayal still so fresh in his mind.

"We leave at once." He announced on a sudden, the last of the will leaching from his fingertips. "At first sunrise. The girl comes with us."

Naruto sputtered his surprise; he hadn't expected his master to agree so readily.

"But her sister-

"There's no time!" Garth flung his remaining belongings_-the latter consisting of a spellbook and some old robes-_into the rough pack. "Lucien has seen your face. And hers. It is no longer safe for you here in Bowerstone, or myself, for that matter." He bent to wrap Rose's wounds, tending to her with the skill that suggested he'd done this once before. But his expression never changed. Not a once.

Naruto looked at Garth. His expression was remote, chilled; stare as he might, Naruto could see no softness there. No mercy. No sorrow even, for the death that had come to little Sparrow. Fury flamed, deep within his chest. For all he owed the man, the food, the warm bed, the feeling_-however remote-_of having a family, in that instant they were no more alike than ice and a flowing river. He'd never forgive the man for this. Sparrow his precious little Sparrow, might be out there somewhere; desperate, dying, in need of help. And he couldn't save her. At that moment, Uzumaki Naruto wanted to shriek and scream. He wanted to denounce the mage that was his foster-father standing before him; fling him down from the highest spire of Castle Fairfax and then go in search of Sparrow. But he daren't leave Rose alone.

He had to make a choice.

Rose or Sparrow? The girl he secretly loved and pined for, or her little sister? He knew what the right choice was, he simply didn't have the heart to make it. No. He couldn't. He just couldn't. He risked a glance at Rose; the one person for whom he cared more than anything else, and he made his decision.

"I'm going to stay with you." He swore. "I'm going to keep you safe...forever."

She smiled then, and Naruto's heart melted.

Garth smiled as well, the very faintest softening of his cold face.

"Most wise." He turned away towards the inner rooms, still speaking to himself. "Now, there's an old tower in Brightwood I'm certain we can make use of-

Naruto wasn't listening. He reached out for Rose's quivering hand, his fingers touching her own, leaving them intertwined. This time she didn't whimper. She would live. But her life would never be the same. He pressed warm lips to her trembling fingertips, willing strength back into her body. She graced him with a thankful sigh, though her eyes still shone with sorrow. Naruto sat with her like that for a long time. An eternity passed by and still he held her hand, releasing it only once he was certain she'd fallen asleep.

He stood woode

_'I **will** find you someday, little Sparrow.'_ he promised himself, his fingers alighting every so softly upon her sister's cheek._ 'I swear it. And then...Lucien will pay for what he's done. He will die. Slowly...'_

* * *

_Sparrow..._

Many miles away from Fairfax Castle, somewhere near the shore of Bower Lake, a young girl began to stir from the last vestiges of a fever dream. Her body cried out for attention; every bone had been shattered and or fractured by the fall. But she was alive. She had no way of knowing how long she'd been out, nor of knowing the fate of her sister and the boy she secretly loved. A lone tear trailed out of the corner of her eye. She had no way of knowing their fate, and thus, asssumed they were gone. She craned her head upward, her neck throbbing in indignant protest.

A cowled face, familiar now, even in the midst of all this pain, smiled back at her.

"Welcome back, little Sparrow."

* * *

**A/N: Pairing is NarutoxRosexSparrow! This story follows that of what happens in Fable 2 but there will be a major divergence with Naruto's appearance in the story. Does Naruto have anything to do with the darkness? Well, as he said, he has been to Aurorar, so there's a high likelihood he was infected at some point, though not completely. I tried my best to keep in character while keeping him from becoming too OOC, but he's a bit more mature in this story. ROSE LIVES! When she and Naruto will meet Sparrow again remains to be seen. The event of what happened in Castle Fairfax will also be revealed down the road. We see a timeskip nextchappy! Sadly, with that I am off to work once more.**

**So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...would you kindly review?**

**R&R! =D**


	3. Long Time No See!

**A/N: Some people have asked me...is Naruto the hero of strength? Nope. If I had to lend him a name for his newfound title I would call him an antihero. He has abilities, but they aren't like those of the others. Remember, he isn't born with awesome powers like Hammer or Sparrow or Garth. Rose, however, does have such powers, as implied by Lucien shortly before her death in the canon timeline. But since she's alive...we'll get to see those powers firsthand, won't we?**

**Speaking of Garth...**

**...WELL, ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER OF A ROSE AMONGST THORNS!**

_"You either die a Hero...Or you live long enough to see yourself become the Villain."_

_~?_

**Lone Time No See!**

Ten years have since passed.

Rose grew alongside Naruto, the pair making Brightwood their home. Her wounds healed, and slowly, gradually, her grief became will. Her anger turned to strength, and her sorrow, skill. She'd since grown in both size and stature, as well. Heir hair, once a matted tangle around her head, had since grown long; beautiful raven tresses framing her heart-shaped face, cascading down her back. Gone were the tattered rags she'd worn in the streets of Old Bowerstone, replaced by flowing silks and leathers givern to her by Garth.

No longer was she a mere lass, but a young woman in full bloom. It became increasingly..._difficult_ for Naruto not to notice. She was beautiful, he thought. Radiant. And to make matters even more complicated, he was living in _close quarters_ with her, sharing everything from toothbrush to bed. Could you say awkward? Because it was! The girl he secretly loved, living with him, eating with him, sleeping with him! Though neither were willing to risk a relationship during those tentative ten years, there were times when Rose would wake in the dead of the night screaming, still haunted by the memories of that fateful evening.

Each time, it took everything he had not to take advantage of that opportunity, fought not to kiss all her fears away. She was so frightened. So vulnerable. Naruto knew this. And he cared for her. Gods, did he care for her! But each time he resisted; telling himself his childhood friend couldn't _possibly _feel for him the way he did for her. Each time, he merely took her in his arms and held her close, fighting against the feel of her body upon his. He would hold her whisper sweet nothings to her, let her cry and mourn for her lost sister, promise he was here, yes, of course he was here; that he'd never leave her side.

Eventually, she would fall asleep in his arms, her arms wrapped right round him. It happened more often than he would've liked. They never spoke of her nightmares. They didn't have to. Naruto knew all too well what or rather, who haunted her dreams; just as he understood her burning desire to end Lucien for what he'd done. The blonde had demons of his own-literally and figuratively-snapping at the doors of his sanity waiting for just the right moment to pounce. Rose didn't know it, but it was her prescence that drove these...things in his head back. She, despite all her flaws, was like a ray of sunshine to him in the dark.

And try as he might, Naruto just couldn't bring himself to distance himself from her.

Garth's tower in Brightwood had proved an able sanctuary over the years, but alas, _personal_ privacy was something they could scant afford with Lucien searching for them. And so ten years came and went, seeming to blur by in the blink of an eye. Rose grew. So did he. Sometimes, during their sessions with Garth, he swore he'd catch her glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He chose to disimiss her sudden interest in him as little to do with his newfound appearance; the blue lines of will scrawled across his flesh like a thing alive. It was nothing, he told himself.

She wasn't interested in him. Not at all.

And then the day came that his world-alongside his beliefs-turned itself on its head.

"You...wanna run that by me again, master?" Naruto arched an eyebrow at his mentor's statement, spoken mere moments ago. The last ten years had added more wrinkles to Garth's face_-many of which Naruto himself was to blame for-_but beyond that, he was pretty sure the Hero of Will wasn't going senile. Garth wasn't that old!

"I needn't repeat myself." the master mage never looked away from his work; too deeply engrossed in an experiment to notice thier disbelief.

Naruto struggled to comprehend what he'd just heard.

"You want us to...

_...go out?"_ Rose finished for him, her face all but lighting up with untold glee. And who could blame her? The two of them had been forbidden to leave the grounds for the last ten years. That Garth was entrusting them a task-no matter how minor-did not mot matter. So long as they finally had a chance to get out! Unfortunately, it was her words that ultimately forced Garth to leave his seat and turn to face them.

"Only to retrieve food and supplies." The master mage was quick to cut their delight short. "I would tend to it myself, but someone needs to tend the tower. Bowerstone is only a short walk from here. You shouldn't be in any danger. But Naruto," he favored the former with a stern glance, "I expect you to return promptly. _Without causing trouble._ Although Lucien has yet to find us, that doesn't mean he's stopped searching." He held their gaze for a moment longer, his scowl slowly softening into a smile as beheld his two students.

"I'm proud of you two." the sudden admission caught both Naruto and Rose off guard; they gawped. "Remember your training, and everything will be fine."

Naruto saluted smartly.

"Yessir!"

* * *

_"Make your way to Bowerstone, I will meet you there."_ Hours later, miles away from Brightwood, Theresa said these words to little Sparrow.

Only, she wasn't little anymore.

She had grown, and in more ways than one. Much like Rose, she was taking her first steps into adolescence; _unlike_ her sister she lacked the sure-footedness that came with age. Her clothing was of the common pauper garb, her dark brown curls lacked her sibling's luster, having been tied back into a a simple ponytail for the sake of convenience. The bullet that had nearly taken her life had left the most _exquisite_ crescent-shaped scar just above her right breast, barely visible in the gloom.

Her body bore many such scars beneath her cloves, evidence of her harsh and relentless training to take her revenge.

Whereas Naruto had and Rose had each matured physicall and emotionally in their own ways during the last decade, Sparrow, being a good deal younger-and not knowing of their survival-lacked the emotional maturity of the dynamic duo. Revenge had been the driving force behind her training for the last ten years, and now, she'd be damned if anything stood in her way. Without Rose to guide her, Sparrow's moral compass had gone seriously askew; she found herself no longer the angel of goodness she'd been during her childhood days; Rose's death had changed all that. Lucien hadn't showed her sister any mercy. So why-should she then, show it to anyone else?

As far as she was concerned, the means satisfied the ends. And if a few innocents had to die to satisfy those means-to end Lucien-then so be it.

Sparrow wasn't happy about that. Ten years had passed since she'd lost her sister. Having only recently awakened her Hero blood, she found she possessed the powers-or at least the beginning of them-those Heroes of olden times had once wielded. It was now night however, and having finally awakened to her true potential, she was bone-tired. At this very moment she wanted nothing more than to sleep, but did as Theresa asked of her regardless. After all, she might as well get use to less sleep. She doubted that she'd be able to slumber without those god-awful nightmares plaguing her anymore.

She hurried along the road to Bowerstone, her ever faithful canine companion in tow, only to find her path blocked by two carts, a barricade and a guard. Sparrow frowned, slowing to allow her pooch-aptly named Fiddo-to catch up to her. The dog wuffed up at her, as though asking 'why have we stopped? Sparrow restrained a smile. The dog had been her favored companion amongst the caravan these last ten years. Always there for her, always ready to listen...

Her smile faded as they approached the barricade.

"What's going on here, guardsman?" she asked in a mellifluous, honeyed tone. No longer was she the simple, silent child of ten years ago. She took a certain perverse pleasure ow in watching the hapless guard perform a reckless double-take, appreciating her beauty. "Why aren't we allowed through?" She pushed a darkened strand of of her eyes as she spoke and folded both arms beneath her bust, inteintionally accentuating both her bosom and cleavage. She certainly wasn't above using her looks to get what she wanted. And if the love-struck lad let her through because he appreciated those 'assets' of hers, then who was she to argue?

"Apologies, citizen." The guard replied tersely. "The road to Bowerstone is currently closed due to bandit activity. Can't be allowing a pretty young thing like yourself through. M' afraid that as long as that ol bandit Thag is still alive, the road stays closed." His speech sounded as though he had rehearsed that particular line many times.

"Fabulous," She mumbled furiously. The guard heard her.

"If you're in a hurry, you could always take care o' Thag yourself." he said, taking in her impatience, crossbow and longsword. "Though I doubt a bonny lass like yourself could do anything about it." It might've been the dark, but he was almost certain he saw this "bonny lass" reaching for said crossbow. Must've been his imagination. "Couple a mages came through here earlier, probably better if you let them-ah!"

His words ended in a strangled yelp as a quarrel thudded into the ground a hairsbreadth from his boot.

"You were saying something?" Sparrow asked amicably, calmly notching another arrow to the crossbow.

The guard shook his head, quivering in fear. Sparrow smiled.

"Didn't think so." the young woman huffed, stalking back down the road to where the bandit camp was, muttering about how useless guards were until Theresa interrupted her.

_"So, the road to Bowerstone is closed. It would seem that Thag has been capturing traders on their way to Bower Lake camp. He is a danger to all and must be dealt with. With your newfound power, you should be able to defeat him and his gang and continue your quest."_

"Shouldn't you say "I _will_ be able to defeat them" not that I "should be able to"?' Sparrow asked, but received no reply. "Gee...thanks for the vote of confidence." she added with bitter sarcasm, coming to a halt outside the camp…the gates were open. Sparrow frowned. Bandit fortresses didn't usually leave their gates open.

Theresa must have found it unusual as well, for she said:

_"Keep your wits about you, it may be a trap."_

* * *

"This is totally a trap." Naruto made this brilliant observation ashe and Rose peered down at the empty camp, sheltered within the branches of a leafy tree.

"Agreed," Rose murmurred, her cheeks flushed. She was trying her best to ignore how incredibly close he was to her, up here on the bough; she could feel his hand resting unknowingly against hers. It was...warm. So very warm. Did Naruto have any idea how she felt about him, she wondered? Probably not. The blonde could be as thick as a shed, sometimes. But that was what she liked-loved!-about her beloved blonde. He was the faithful friend; unfaltering and loyal to the end. Their bond was one she daren't jeopardize.

Even if she wanted more.

Unbeknownst to them, they'd arrived several minutes before Sparrow, having taken a shortcut through Oakfield. Having discovered the road to Bowerstone cordoned off against bandits, they'd taken it upon themselves to eliminate Thag. After all, as Rose had so brilliantly pointed out to him-it couldn't possibly hurt to make some coin on the way. When they happened upon an open gate, the pair promptly took to the trees, rather than risk the ambush they knew must be lying in wait.

Five minutes had passed, and still, no sign of movement. That was about to change.

"Look!" Rose brushed the auburn curls out of her face just long enough to spot a young woman creeping through the camp, seemingly intent upon the cage at the center. They could see precious little of her face in this encroaching darkness; the shadows made it nigh but impossible to discern her visage. And was that a dog trailing behind her...?

That mutt almost looked familiar...

"She's walking right into it!" Rose edged forward, her fingers crackling with electricity.

"No, wait!" Naruto grabbed her wrist with a hiss, extinguishing the spark. Rose looked at him in silent disbelief.

"What are you doing?!"

The blonde grinned, motioned to the condifent young woman below their perch.

"Let's see how she does...

* * *

Drawing her sword, Sparrow stealthily crept into the camp and looked around…not a bandit in sight. She walked even further into the camp and still, no one emerged to challenge her. Fiddo whimpered, tail between his legs. Sparrow shared the sentiment. This was going a little too smoothly. She could see a cage in the distance, when someone yelled out from a cage,

_"Look out, it's an ambush!"_

Sparrow whipped around with a hiss and realised that they were correct. All around here, bandits were jumping out for the trees ready to kill her or worse, capture and sell her off as a slave. A wry smile tugged back at the heroine's lips. Let them try. They weren't going to succeed.

"C'mere, girly." one of them crooned, waving his sword at her in a threatening manner. "We won't hurt ya_-aaagh!"_

Flinging her crossbow off her back, she unloaded a quarrel into the chest of the bandit closest to her. The man barely had time to gurgle in surprise before the iron bolt pierced his heart, ending his life. This enraged the other bandits and as one, they came bounding at her. Sparrow was waiting for this. The battle didn't even last five minutes; her skills were a far cry from the hapless ineptitude with which she'd wielded a wooden sword in her childhood. Regardless, she knew that they were just a warm up. How did she know that none of them were Thag?

For starters, the captured gypsies were still tense and the main evidence was that Storm was standing on the porch of a small cabin barking and growling at the door. Suddenly-and without warning-it exploded outward with a defeaning crack; showering her in bark and timber.

Big, muscular and wearing what looked like a stag on his head. Aye, that was him. Had to be. He took one look at Fiddo, sneered, and harshly kicked him off the porch. The poor pooch whimpered once before he struck the unyielding bark of a tree and lay still. Unmoving.

"FIDDO!" Sparrow cried, whirling to face Thag with a shriek of fury. No one attacked her dog. NO ONE! She'd already lost so much! Too much! She couldn't afford to let this bandit take anything else away from her! Fire burned in her eyes, pinnioning the man with a glare that could cut glass. It licked at her fingertips and caught flame in her palms, responding to her overwhelming will-the deisire-to kill this man. The thin rope that held her hair back caught flame and snapped, sending Her tresses tumbling down her back, standing on end as the fires hissed and snapped around her.

"You...!"

"No one defies Thag the Impatient!" he declared, heedless of the flames flaring from her fingers. "I'll gut you myself! I'll give you three seconds to prepare yourself. No, wait; two! NO, sod it_…NOOOW!"_ he roared with a mighty cry, drawing his own sword and charging at her. It was rather obvious where he'd gotten his title.

More bandits dropped down from the trees and crawled out of the brush; Sparrow couldn't have cared less. She had eyes only for Thag.

**"DIE!"**

* * *

Naruto saw it in the same instant that Rose gasped. He felt it. They both did. That girl down their was using Will. Granted, she lacked the honed refinement given to them by Garth, but it was power nevertheless. Flame fanned around her in a semicircle, setting the clearing aflame. Naruto amusement swiftly drained away, replaced by concern as the young woman recklessly launched blast after flaming blast into the camp, uncaring for what she struck, for what she set ablaze. Rose seemed to share his sentiment.

"Is she using...?!"

"Yes." the blond frowned. "Yes she is."

Wordlessly, Naruto drew up his hood and dropped down into the fray, hammer in hand. They never saw him coming until it was too late.

He flicked his wrist, and a harrowing crack of bone signalled the end of a life.

"What are you-oh, bugger!" Rose tugged up her own hood to shield her face and dropped down into the battle after her beloved.

* * *

Sparrow was enraged.

There could be no other word for it. A red haze hung over her vision, blinding her to all else as she struck out at him, at the object of her anger, her sword carving a bloody path through the bandit's camp. She lashed out at Thag with reckless abandon, and each time, the hulking bandit drove her back; back, back,_ back_ until she was too focused on parrying the massive man's blows to do anything else. She barely noticed when two figures dropped from the burning trees above her, launching themselves against her attackers like a pair of ghosts, sparing no one.

Heads rolled from their shoulders, limbs were hacked to piecs, bandits run through. And still Sparrow took no notice of her unlikely allies; exulting as she scored a glancing slash on Thag's thigh. The bandit roared once and bashed her in the head with a fist. _Hard._ Thag's unexpected strike sending stars speckling before Sparrow's vision, sending her sprawling to the ground, her sword flying from her grasp.

"Got ya now, bitch!" Thag crowed, raising his sword overhead, moving in for the kill-

_Thunk._

-and staggered backwards, screaming as a throwing knife sank to the hilt in his shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound as his fingers fumbled foir the knife, presenting Sparrow a much-needed opportunity to scramble to her feet and saftey. She snatched her sword off the floor and made use of it, lopping a man's hand off as he grabbed at her. His scream was cut short as a quarrel from a crossbow lodged itself in his throat, knocking him into a ditch to join his fellows.

Sparrow sighed in relief.

"Much obliged...?"

She craned her head backward, and the words of thanks died on her lips as she watched one of them run a nearby bandit through. She was suddenly uncertain...whether these two were on her side at all. Amidst Thag's angry curses they strode forward as one, effortlessly dispatching all those who dared bar their path.

A man and a woman -each only a few years older than she- waded through the mob of bandits toward her. Their cowls raised, faces hidden in the gloom. One look at them told her these two were not inexperienced. As if sending her doubts, the man raised a hand and a nearby bandit found himself flying backwards, his body propelled through the camp courtesy of a Force Push spell. His hammer made short work of another, the large weapon smashing a man's skull as though it t'were made of glass.

"Your turn." these words, low and masculine, were directed toward his partner.

The woman nodded and stepped past him, raising both hands over her head; palms crackling in an otherwordly realm of thunder and lightning. Sparrow felt her skin prickle in gooseflesh. Whomever these two might be they were no slouch when it came to Will.

"B-Bloody witch!" one of the bandits cried.

"I'm no witch, you bastard!" A familiar voice snapped, sending the man hurtling into a tent with a bolt of lightning. The storm itself seemed to gather about her like a thing alike, electrocuting all those foolish enough to try and approach her. More than a few men met their end at the u

Even as Sparrow observed this Thag found his footing and began stomping torwards her, his long stride eating up the distance between them. A shout from the cowled man caused her to turn about quickly, just in time to parry a strike that would've otherwise torn her head from her shoulders.

"Bitch!" The bandit leader spat, his lips frothing with blood. "You think this can kill me? ME?! I am Thag the Impatient! No one can-OOF!"

His words ended in a resounding moan as a pair of clenched knuckles barreled into his face and drove him back; when next Sparrow did look, the cowled man was standing beside her, head reared back to regard the now broken nose of the towering brute.

"You wouldn't happen to be Thag by any chance, would you?" he asked.

"Aye?" the snaggle-tooth bandit replied, still clenching at his shattered. "An what're a couple o' brats like you gonna do if I am?"

_"Brat?"_

A tiny smile broke out on Naruto's chiseled face, like a crack etching along a stone surface. "Do you hear that?" he asked his partner. "They mean to kill us!" He laughed, then; it was a deep, throaty sound, not a thing like himself. The wind, keening like a lost child, stirred his ragged blond hair caressing it with cold fingers, gathering in the palm of his hand as the bandits looked on.

"You imbeciles." Naruto snarled, his pupils dilating as increased adrenaline began to pump through his system, his visible eye crimson. And bright with bloodlust. "You realy don't have a clue, do you? Well...perhaps we should let them know who they're dealing with."

At the sight, Sparrow felt her blood vibrate. She didn't know this stranger, but there could be no denying the excitement she felt at his words.

_Mmmm…_

"You know what they say," Naruto's teeth gleamed wolfishly in the shadow of his ragged locks. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth_...and evil for evil."_

"Huh?" Thag growled as the young man stalked forward. "Whadd're ya going on about_-gah!"_

Clenched fingers locked around his face, cutting short his tirade.

_"Burn."_

Azure fight sprouted from those ungloved fingers, rippling across Thag's body in a sizzling tide of death and destruction. Tongues of flame and fire plunged down into his mouth and nose, strangling his death cries. Then the man went and did the unthinkable, he swung his sword through he flames and lopped off the burning bandit head, leaving the charred, yet still recognizeable cadaver to topple to the ground. Sparrow gawped; even she was not so brutal as to set someone aflame and then behead them

"Overkill." the cowled woman murmurred behind her.

The man shrugged.

"Well he was pissing me off and_-hey!"_

A sudden gust of wind snatched at his cowl and ripped it backwards, exposing a face Sparrow had long since thought dead. Bright blue eyes. Blonde, flaxen hair, the color of the sun. Whiskered cheeks, dimpled now, in confusion as he peered down at her; unable to recognize this buxom young woman for who she was. But not Sparrow. She knew that face anywhere and while the years had aged it, they had also made it impossible for her to forget. A wordless cry fled from her lips, causing him to flinch, take a step back.

"Are you alright, miss...?"

Sparrow felt a sob hitch in her throat; by then she was already rushing forward. She flung her arms around his neck and held on for all she was worth, embracing a man she'd thought dead for the last ten years; all too gone, and now he was here and he was alive and...and...and...

His name tore itself from her lips.

_"Naruto!"_

* * *

**A/N: Well, that escalated quickly, didn't it? ****Pairing is NarutoxRosexSparrow! I tried my best to keep everyone in character, while keeping anyone from becoming too OOC, but...he's a bit more mature in this story. And what color is Rose's hair? We never really get a good look at it, and from what I assumed it was always black so. And, of course, what will Sparrow's reaction be upon meeting these two whom she thought dead?! **

**Find out next time on...A Rose Amongst Thorns!**

**So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...would you kindly review?**

**R&R! =D**


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